I am in western Australia for a couple of weeks so it was only fair I went fishing. I booked a trip for two aboard turquoise safaris and we hopped aboard the 7m pontoon boat 'here fishy fishy' at 6am and headed out into the Indian ocean. In the dark. In big heaving seas.

Did you know that centre console boats don't offer the best weather protection. Who world have guessed eh?

A couple of firsts for me. Seeing a humpback whale almost totally out of the water was one and nailing a nice samson fish on my first drop in 50m was another.

A couple of snapper (pinkies) followed it onboard and because we were only allowed two demersal fish each I let the sambo go and my mate Bob let his two keep able snapper go. And that was it. The skipper got a nice dhufish that we just polished off for dinner.

It was good fun but at $220 a head it was pricey by nz standards. I didn't have the heart to tell them a week ago we caught around 40 snapper. The boat catch was two snapper and a dhufish. Very slow but fun nonetheless and a great skipper and an amazing boat. I always thought pontoons were hard riding. Not this one. Narrow gutted and soft riding but very stable with 5 crew all on the same side in a good solid and messy 2.5m swell.

Great fun but things were put into perspective when I had a txt from arron who managed only 5 gurnies and 5 ky. We are indeed very lucky

Lucky you. I love WA. I don't think that charter was expensive by NZ standards. Aside from the real cheap ass crap that I've booked through GrabOne, all the charters I've done have been a similar price. 

smudge wrote: carlostairua wrote: Wicked mate, sounds like fun. I'm Oz bound in a couple of weeks too, can't wait to escape the cold here We are about 300km north of perth and it is same temp as we left in auckland and just as wet but I think thing change fast here

what?so much for climate change,thought you would be in high 20s?

Fish wise that is a poor day out by Jurien Bay standards Smudge. Many Perth guys will travel from Perth to Jurien and back in a day to go on a day charter. Never heard of the mob you went with.
Weather is cold at the moment as you have discovered, maybe get to 21C on Saturday.

Sure thing Neil we back in Perth on friday 22nd so have a couple of hours to spare I have your number so if we can make it work that would be great. Just saw the news and its forecast for one degree tonight in kalgoorlie where we heading on thursday

Can't believe you haven't caught a gurnard yet..........

Yeah, the fishing regs in W.A. are nuts....every time I go over there the guys amaze me with new rules or re hashes of the same ones. Shark bay is the farthest south I have fished over there, and while it can be good fishing, frankly, it sucks compared to nz.....apart from the range of species that is, that keeps it way interesting. In SB the rules are a but more relaxed, in that you are allowed five demersal fish, and some other species, like mulloway, you are allowed to keep outside that limit, and the mackerel of course.
You have to be keen on rough water though, and be prepared to cover big distances, like 40-50 miles each way, to get to the "spots".
Yep, we are pretty lucky here in NZ.....

Was about one degree this morning. My mate works on a farm growing wheat lupins oats barley and canola. We were driving around it in an 18 wheel freightliner. Only a small truck 70 tonnes loaded.we then went for a drive in the ute and an hour later we had seen most of the farm. Couldn't see the ocean though